Jeep plugs in with new electrified Grand Cherokee flagship

JeepAustralia is finally introducing a plug-in hybrid, the new Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve 4xe, which will arrive in local showrooms from August.

Priced from $129,950 before on-road costs, the two-row Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve 4xe is $10,500 more than the three-row Grand Cherokee L Summit Reserve.

It’s also $31,500 more than the current flagship of the two-row Grand Cherokee range, the Overland.

The Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve 4xe is powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged four-cylinder engine with two electric motors producing a total system output of 280kW of power and 637Nm of torque. There’s also a 17.3kWh battery pack and a 400V electrical architecture.

The powertrain uses an eight-speed automatic transmission, with drive sent through a Quadra-Trac II active four-wheel drive system with a two-speed active transfer case.

Jeep claims the Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve 4xe has an all-electric range of 52km, according to lenient NEDC testing, and combined fuel economy of 3.2 litres per 100km.

The vehicle’s Type 2 charge port is located behind a cover on the front left wheel arch. Jeep claims the battery can be fully charged in less than three hours when plugged into a 7.4kW Mode 3 AC charger.

There are three different drive modes – Hybrid, Electric and eSave – that can selected using a button on the right-hand side of the instrument panel.

Jeep claims that “regardless of the mode selected”, the Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve 4xe operates as a hybrid once it has enough battery charge.

The vehicle comes with regenerative braking that can engage at up to 0.25g when the brake pedal is pushed and feed electricity back to the battery pack to maintain or increase the state of charge.

The Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve 4xe has a braked towing capacity of 2722kg, which is 91kg less than the non-electrified range.

Jeep had previously suggested the torque on offer from plug-in hybrid drivetrains makes them a natural alternative to diesel or V8 petrol engines for drivers who tow, but the new 4xe can’t match the old WK2-series’ 3500kg braked towing capacity when equipped with such an engine.

On the safety front the Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve 4xe comes with the following equipment:

• Autonomous emergency braking
  • Pedestrian detection
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Lane-keep assist
• Active Driving Assist
• Adaptive cruise control with stop/go
• Parallel and perpendicular park assist
• Traffic sign recognition
• Surround-view camera

The 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve 4xe comes with the following standard features:

• 21-inch alloy wheels
• Quadra Lift air suspension
• Dual-pane panoramic sunroof
• Automatic LED headlights
• Automatic high-beam
• Hands-free power tailgate
• 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
• 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• 19-speaker McIntosh premium sound system
• Interior ambient lighting
• Digital rear-view mirror
• Black or Tupelo (tan) quilted Palermo leather upholstery
• 12-way power adjustable front seats with four-way power lumbar
• Ventilated front seats
• Ventilated outboard second-row seats
• Massage front seats

The optional $5500 Advanced Technology Group comes with the following:

• Head-up display
• Wireless charger
• Night Vision Camera
• 10.25-inch front passenger display

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve 4xe has a black-painted roof as standard and is available in the following exterior paint colours:

• Bright White
• Baltic Grey
• Velvet Red
• Midnight Sky
• Diamond Black
• Rocky Mountain
• Silver Zynith
• Hydro Blue

Premium paint costs an additional $1750.

While Jeep has offered 4xe plug-in hybrid versions of its Wrangler, Renegade and Compass in other markets for a few year now, Australia has missed out. This makes the Grand Cherokee 4xe the first plug-in hybrid to be offered by the brand locally.

MORE: Everything Jeep Grand Cherokee